The Sky over the Mornington Peninsula — January 2161
Highlights this month
- 1ThuMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (3:51am)
- 4SunQuadrantids meteor shower peaks (up to 110/hr). A 45% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 10SatMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (2:21pm)
- 10SatUranus in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (9:35pm)
- 18SunNeptune in superior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (8:00am)
- 19MonVenus is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (2:23pm)
- 21WedMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (1:48pm)
- 22ThuThe Moon passes Mars — 3° apart. (3:02am)
- 22ThuThe Moon passes Jupiter — 0.4° apart. (3:02am)
- 28WedMars and Jupiter in conjunction — 0.5° apart. (5:54am)
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 | 6:00am | 8:46pm | 14h 46m | 10:41pm | 4:04am |
| Sat 10 | 6:08am | 8:46pm | 14h 38m | 10:38pm | 4:15am |
| Tue 20 | 6:18am | 8:42pm | 14h 24m | 10:30pm | 4:30am |
| Sat 31 | 6:31am | 8:34pm | 14h 03m | 10:17pm | 4:48am |
Days shorten by about 43 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterMon 5, 5:53am
- Full MoonMon 12, 12:24pm
- Last QuarterMon 19, 3:15am
- New MoonMon 26, 8:12pm
Apogee 2 Jan (405,400 km) · Perigee 14 Jan (361,000 km) · Apogee 29 Jan (406,000 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Sgr | 2.4 | 5:36am | 12:40pm | 7:46pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Aqr | −4.7 | 9:12am | 3:44pm | 10:15pm | Hidden |
| Mars | Sco | 1.5 | 2:29am | 9:38am | 4:48pm | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sco | −1.6 | 2:53am | 10:05am | 5:17pm | Morning |
| Saturn | Lib | 0.5 | 2:04am | 8:58am | 3:51pm | Morning |
| Uranus | Sgr | 5.9 | 5:53am | 1:10pm | 8:28pm | Hidden |
| Neptune | Sgr | 8.0 | 6:31am | 1:40pm | 8:49pm | Hidden |
Meteor showers
- Quadrantids — peaks 4 January, radiant in Boötes (up to 110/hr). Radiant stays below the horizon from Victoria — essentially a no-show this far south. A 45% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
The solar system — January 2161
Evening sky Morning sky Up much of the night Lost in the Sun’s glare
Open the full interactive orrery ↗ — fast-forward, pick any date, toggle the Moon and more.
Looking for an earlier month? Browse all past monthly guides →
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 2 October 2026.